thor Vegas 25.2 questions

[flyguy]

Hi All,

I am new to this forum. My wife and I now own a Hurricane 30Q and just love it. We are however looking into downsizing a bit with a Vegas 25.2. My wife is not all that comfortable driving the Hurricane and we think the Vegas would be less intimidating and easier for her, we also like the 25.2 floor plan. It seems to fit our needs.
One of my questions had to do with the rear slide. Can you still sleep in the bed with the slide all the way in or is the mattress lifted up at an angle against the cabin wall?
Also, has anyone installed levelling jacks? Im guessing yes but I see no mention of it anywhere in the forum. Because the Vegas sits so close to the ground I was wondering about the clearance that would be left. On our Hurricane the clearance with the jack up is surprisingly low and the coach sits much higher that the Vegas.

I will keep reading with great interest all the experience you guys (and gals) are sharing. I'm sure I will have other questions.

Thanks in advance,

Larry and Annie

[JamieGeek]

I don't have a 25.2 but from what I've seen: Yes the bed folds when the slide is retracted (I think that is what the dotted line in the floorplan denotes the fold point of the bed). I think it has to fold: looking at the floorplan the bed is longer than the amount it slides out.

As far as jacks: So far I don't think there are any Vegas/Axis owners on the forums here that have installed jacks yet. I've been considering them but have had other uses for the $$ required for jacks (like a dolly instead).

Ground clearance: There is quite a bit of room under there for jacks. Its just the low skirting around the sides that gives the impression of low ground clearance (and the really low bumper).

[flyguy]

Thanks JamieGeek,

That confirms what I suspected about the rear bed. A bit of a letdown. I was thinking Wallmart and also if for some reason the slide did not extend. Our Hurricane has no slide and we were happy with that (just two of us) No slide problems with leaks from water or cold air seeping in. Having a slide is going to be new to us. Can they be extended or retracted manually?

However that is good news for the jacks. It makes quite a difference when parked for a while. Less rocking from just walking around the cabin and stiff winds. Of course quick leveling is way cool.

Thanks again,
Larry and Annie

[timp410]

I have studied this model at my local dealer several times and I am still not totally sure. The one thing I do know is that the mattress sits on a wooden base and only over hangs the wooden base by no more than six inches, mabe less. there is a fold in the mattress but seem like the fold is there to make accessing the storage underneath easier. If the mattress does fold, it can only raise a little before the wooden base reaches the wall. Like Jamie stated, when I measure the length of the slide extended from the outside using my arm, it seems longer than the distance from the mattress to the wall which is confusing to me. I wish they would have kept the slide in the front alone with the sofa to go with the slide in the rear.

[JamieGeek]

Yes there are ways to extend/retract almost any slide manually. So far, for us, knock on wood, we haven't had to do so in the 11 years we've had a unit with a slide. I don't know the mechanism the 25.2 uses but wouldn't be surprised if it used the same Schwintek system (by Lippert) that our 24.1 uses:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGL4aILZYcY

For the slide on the 25.2 I don't see why you wouldn't be able to extend it just about anywhere (including Wal-mart parking lots). If someone complained you could easily show them that is the bed and it needs to be out for you to sleep (and if all you're doing is extending the slide and not doing other things like awning, chairs, etc. LOL I doubt many people would even notice especially since it pops out lengthwise and not widthwise like other slides).

I'm interested in why you like the 25.2 over the 24.1 (I can see a few reasons, the bathroom being a big one)? Since they both, to me at least, have a very similar intent...

[flyguy]

Thanks tim410,

Maybe there is hope. Since you go to the dealer sometimes...maybe you could ask them to close the slide for you. We would know once and for all.

Larry

[flyguy]

thanks for the little video Jamiegeek.

It is a little more reasuring. I'm sure it will never come to that but the pilot in me wants to keep all options covered.

As for why the 25.2... the size of the bathroom is a bonus not a requirement. It actually has a larger shower stall than our Hurricane and there is more cupboard space also.
The real issue is the rear bed accessible from both side, admittedtly tight but accessible none the less. My wife and I like to sleep together, separate beds sounds depressing to us. also if the bed in the 24.1 is set up as a king, it is difficult to crawl out at night for a pottie break not to mention how do you make the bed with the room a full mattress and not in single bed format. We also use a 12 volts mattress warmer. In a dual bed config I would need 2, more power draw whilst boondocking. It all boils down to personal preference I guess. Personally I wouldn't mind the 24.1 bed arrangement and would benefit of a 1 foot shorter rig BUT the missus has her heart set on an island bed.

Larry and Annie

[timp410]

Originally Posted by flyguy

Thanks tim410,

Maybe there is hope. Since you go to the dealer sometimes...maybe you could ask them to close the slide for you. We would know once and for all.

Larry

I will ask them the next time I stop by there. I did not want to deal with the high pressure sales people down there at the time since I knew I wasn't interested in purchasing one.

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by flyguy

As for why the 25.2... the size of the bathroom is a bonus not a requirement. It actually has a larger shower stall than our Hurricane and there is more cupboard space also.
The real issue is the rear bed accessible from both side, admittedtly tight but accessible none the less. My wife and I like to sleep together, separate beds sounds depressing to us. also if the bed in the 24.1 is set up as a king, it is difficult to crawl out at night for a pottie break not to mention how do you make the bed with the room a full mattress and not in single bed format. We also use a 12 volts mattress warmer. In a dual bed config I would need 2, more power draw whilst boondocking. It all boils down to personal preference I guess. Personally I wouldn't mind the 24.1 bed arrangement and would benefit of a 1 foot shorter rig BUT the missus has her heart set on an island bed.

Larry and Annie

Perfectly reasonable reasoning..I was just curious.

Making up the bed(s) as a king: we always make it up as a king. Use 2 fitted sheets for each "side" and then a top king sheet and blanket. Making a potty break in the middle of the night isn't too bad but yes you have to crawl over everything to get to the bathroom door (instead of just stepping off the bed to the side like you would in the 25.2).

I doubt you'd even notice the 1ft length difference between the two whilst driving. They are so small to begin with (compared to most other MHs on the road).

[timp410]

We also make our bed into a king because I do not want to sleep separate from my wife. We purchase an RV Super Bed from the following company https://www.rvsuperbag.com/, it made things a lot easier. We do not like to leave the bed in the king configurations during the day an the RV Super Bed really simplifies the process.

[flyguy]

If I was to go the 24.1 route I certainly, like you would use one of those super bags.
I also like the 24.2 layout but where to sleep. There is no way my wife would sleep on the couch even less climb up the bunk. Its interesting to compare all the plans though.

Like you said, I would not notice the extra foot especially after driving the 31 footer. But now my wife will join in the fun because it is fun to drive these rigs.

Thanks guys,
Larry & Annie

[timp410]

I don't think your wife will have a problem at all driving the Axis/Vegas, they are definitely less intimidating to drive. They are not as easy to drive as an SUV like the promo video states. However, my wife has no problem driving ours but she prefers to ride and read her Kindle...lol.

[Larry]

Originally Posted by timp410

I don't think your wife will have a problem at all driving the Axis/Vegas, they are definitely less intimidating to drive. They are not as easy to drive as an SUV like the promo video states. However, my wife has no problem driving ours but she prefers to ride and read her Kindle...lol.

Sounds like my DW. Fine by me cause I really enjoy driving it.

[flyguy]

I'm glad she will be able to drive but I'm hoping she will keep knitting like she used to in the Hurricane and let me drive the Vegas.
By the way, it is very pleasant chatting with you guys, very friendly indeed.
I will surely have more questions in the weeks to come.

Cheers,
Larry & Annie

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by timp410

I will ask them the next time I stop by there. I did not want to deal with the high pressure sales people down there at the time since I knew I wasn't interested in purchasing one.

No rush timp410. But if you do happen to be in the neighbourhood you could tell them you know someone interested in that model and maybe take a picture of the bed slide closed. When you have a chance. I will be looking out for it .

Cheers,
Larry & Annie

[evergreen49]

Interesting, we loved the bedding arrangement in our 24.1 Axis. In fact we can't find anything similar in a replacement Travel Trailer. We also liked not having to slide out getting to our site late at night. The bed is always accessible and sofa without sliding.

[flyguy]

Hi Evergreen,

I actually like the 24.1 layout for just those reasons (my wife does not read this blog ). I think it was smart of Thor to make all the slide where they can be used even when closed (except the 25.2, not sure yet).
However after seeing the bathroom layouts the 25.2 is quite large. In fact the shower is bigger than in our Hurricane and it has more cupboard space. In our Hurricane we put the bath towels over the kitchen dinette, I think they would fit in the vegas 25.2 washroom.
Its interesting when looking at all the floor plans that there is something in each that you would want in the other.

Thanks again for the input,

Larry & Annie

[evergreen49]

Here is our theory: choose the area where the most time is spent: bathroom:20-40 minutes per day or sleeping 6-8 hours per day. Besides, we often use the Campground showers..

Good luck.

[davidgebo]

WE have a Vegas 24.1. The 25.1 is only a couple feet longer, so the driving experience would be the same. My wife would not even attempt to drive our 2010 Allegro 30DA, it was tall, bus-like, and leaned a lot in cornering. She does, however feel quite comfortable driving the Vegas. It is nimble, peppy, not tippy feeling at all, and drives like a large van. Its lower center of gravity does make it seem much more stable at highway speeds, and less susceptible to semi trucks passing. Plus, I like driving it, too. You will also discover fuel mileage much better than your present class A. We get about 10 MPG. We found, also that stabilizing jacks are really not needed. The coach rocks very little when parked and us moving around inside. It would help, of course in leveling the coach instead of using the occasional blocks under the wheels. We felt the 4 grand to install auto jacks was better spent on travels. One thing to remember. If you get the slide-out rear queen, be sure to put sections of foam pipe insulation or swimming pool noodles on the low corners of the slide-out. You will walk into the slide-out sooner or later. The foam will soften the blow. I have gone into great detail previously, in this venue about my experiences with our new Vegas, and the issues with quality control, and dealing with Thor. Read all these blogs from Vegas owners to get a good picture of the Vegas/Axis coach, and what to check for before you take delivery. An inspection of quality control issues is very important with these coaches. Have the salesman give you a complete run-down of all systems in the coach and where everything is located. The owners manual is generic, and useless There is no Vegas-specific manual. We did see a new 25.1 at the Tampa RV show, and did see that many of the deficiencies and QC issues were much improved in the 2015 25.1. I still feel this class A does merit consideration, and is fun to drive, easy to maneuver, and nice and comfortable to live in and travel in.

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by evergreen49

Here is our theory: choose the area where the most time is spent: bathroom:20-40 minutes per day or sleeping 6-8 hours per day. Besides, we often use the Campground showers..

Good luck.

Good logic evergreen, but in my case, my wife does not like using public facilities. We use our washroom for 1,2 and shower 100% of the time we travel. Heck! she will not even use the provided picnic table. We carry a potable/expandable table for outdoor meals. At least we are fully prepared for boondocking .